www.aDay&aHalf.com

So I've had a day and a half!!!

I woke up this morning, feeling like I didn't want to go to work, but because I'm a responsible person, I went. I get to work and as I drive into the parking lot, I have this weird feeling based on nothing! So I go up to the door, unlock it and notice that there is some papers on the floor.... that has happened before so I ignore it.

Then I look up and notice that the 2 office doors which are usually shut and locked are wide open... and there appears to be that salt stuff that you put on snow on the ground outside the office door. Then I think to myself, self - I don't think that is salt... it matches the glass that is broken out of the window to the office door. I see that there are a few things on the ground that aren't usually there and glance to see that the computers are all there and turned and booked it out of the church to my car!!!!!!!

A few minutes later 4 police cars, 4 officers and 1 K-9 are all hanging out with me at the church! The Trustees from the church show up and the pastor gets there eventually - she lives 45 mins away. Since I was the one who found the break-in, they would only talk to me and I had to follow them around the church, tell them what I knew etc.

Not until I had gone back into the church did I realize how badly they had damaged and ransacked the office!!!

I was very shaky and scared but stayed very calm and didn't give in to my childhood fear of Police Officers!!! They were very nice, and determined that it was most likely teenagers on their way to school. They didn't end up getting anything more than a few dollars - we think, and 2 bags of M&Ms (which they got from the pastor's office, and left in the park across the street). They know exactly what kind of shoes they were wearing, and the K-9 followed the tracks to the High School.

The damage included 2 broken windows, 1 filing cabinet, 1 smashed computer screen, and other minimal damage - but they trashed both offices pretty good!!

So after hours of standing in the cold, then working on Christmas cards in the local coffee shop waiting for the Deputy to call my cell to tell us they were done fingerprinting, evidence-ing, forensic-ing, dog track-tracing..... I got to work in time to print the bulletins for the Sunday Morning services and head over to my second job! There I realized I had an inconvenient sore on my lip- probably from frostbite and the icing on the cake: I forgot to pick up my check before 4pm and it was now locked in the office at Walmart....

In better news: I'm going home to celebrate Christmas with Nick and my family this weekend and to see the cantata!

This is the e-mail sent out to the church members:

Dear Prayer Partners,
"Life has its joys and concerns, and today we have a few big concerns.
Prayers of Sadness and Thanks: We are saddened that our church was broken into this morning (Thursday) and the main office and pastor's office was ransacked. Nonetheless, we are thankful that the damage was mainly limited to two broken windows, a broken office file cabinet, and a smashed computer monitor. We are also thankful for the church leaders who helped with the clean-up and the insurance company matters, and for our Communication Coordinator Brittney Austin's calm manner in handling things. We are also thankful that no one got hurt or surprised this morning with the break in. Please pray for the youthful suspects who broke into the church and for all those who turn to crime and theft and wrong ways. Pray that they will turn their lives around and live by the law."